Ian McKellen Admits He Doesn’t ‘Quite Get’ Oscar-Favorite Hamnet

Sir Ian McKellen, known as one of the foremost British cultural icons, admitted that he did not “quite get” Hamnet, the latest film by Chloe Zhao starring Paul Mescal. The veteran stage actor, who has been a part of many Shakespearean plays in his Tony-winning career, felt that something was not clicking about the narrative in Hamnet.

Ian McKellen explains why he doesn’t ‘get’ Hamnet

Ian McKellen revealed that he did not quite understand Hamnet and its stance on exploring William Shakespeare’s creative origins.

As Hamnet continues to generate Oscar buzz, McKelle explained in an interview with The Times what his take on the film was. “I don’t quite get it,” the six-time Laurence Olivier Award winner said, “I’m not very interested in trying to work out where Shakespeare’s imagination came from, but it certainly didn’t just come from family life.”

The film follows a pivotal turn in Shakespeare’s life when his 11-year-old son, Hamnet, dies. The movie is an adaptation of the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell. The novel and the film seem to suggest that Hamnet’s death leads to the creation of one of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedies: Hamlet.

McKellen, who enjoyed much of his early success for performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, added to the debate, “As Hamnet races towards the finishing line, as far as Oscars are concerned, it’s likely to repeat the success of Shakespeare in Love, which had odd views as to how plays get put on.”

He continued, “But then Shakespeare’s perhaps the most famous person who ever lived, so of course there is some interest in what he looked like, what his relationship with his family was. And we can’t know.”

The actor further called some aspects of the film “improbable,” including the prospect of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife, never having seen a play before.

Ian McKellen’s dynamic stage and screen presence has seen him embody everything from King Lear on Broadway to Magneto in X-Men and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. He is set to return to his iconic role of Magneto in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

Source: Comingsoon.net